With docs such as “The Tinder Swindler” shining a new light on romance scams, the Federal Trade Commission has revealed that these emotional cons have seen a shocking increase.
The FTC says that romance scammers have duped singles desperate for love out of a record-breaking $1.3 billion over the past five years. In 2021 alone, there was $547 million lost in the scams, an 80% increase from the previous year.
Sadly, many of these scams target the elderly, who are lonely and seeking companionship. In recent days, one New York couple, 29-year-old Linda Mbimadong and 31-year-old Richard Broni was sentenced to prison for scamming a 78-year-old man out of $580,000. They pretended to be a love interest on the dating site iFlirts. The duo also tricked a 74-year-old woman out of $80,000. In both cases, they impersonated military service members and others to sweet talk the money out of the victims.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations urges people who date online to remain vigilant. Research a person’s photos using online search engines to determine if the images have been used anywhere else on the net under different names. Also, beware of anyone who appears to be trying to isolate you from loved ones. Most importantly, never send money to anyone you’ve never met in person, and even if you have, be mindful of anyone asking you for money prematurely for outlandish reasons such as being on the run or having their accounts locked.
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